Contents: It’s about the Romany who served the army in Zatec town at the time when Mr. Tops was there. It’s about the kind of life the Romany led in Zatec. How they used the wooden floor for warming themselves up, how they got drunk, how they fought against each other. The police had to ask the military police for help several times as they fought. It’s also about the national constitution in the army.
Could you tell me with your own words about the arrest itself and the following lock up in Ruzyne jail?
"I was at work in the armory so I could easily take any gun or machine gun and shoot them like the other two boys did it, but I wouldn’t even think about it. There were all kinds of different guns there, because the soldiers to be had to learn to use all of them. For an example English weapons, German guns, Walter etc. Anyway, I was at work when my chief Mr. Vlcek accompanied by Mr. Sevcik - the commander of the whole unit came to me saying: ´So comrade, take only your private stuff and leave everything else here you’ll go to Prague now to extend your drivers license for the bus driver permit.´ I went without the cuffs carrying only a box with toilet paper and a toot brush. The Tatraplan limo was waiting for us outside and next to it two KGB (Committee for State Security) agents. They brought me to the car, opened the door for me and said: ´You’re under arrest, rowdy! Then they put the cuffs on my hands and legs covered my eyes and on top of that covered my whole body with their rain coat. So nobody could see if there is someone in the car or not. But that was completely useless. And off we went, but I had no idea where they’re taking me to."
"And I just joined them and started to swear at the communism and the regime and I said all kinds of things like you know, just ..."
And what did you say particullary?
"I don’t know."
And what did you criticized?
"Well everything, everything has been already wrong at that time."
You mean like politics, economics and that stuff?
"I have to admit I didn’t know much about the economy."
So it was rather politics?
"Yes, it was about politics generally, all you could read in a newspaper or hear on the radio and everyone just responded to it. And I let myself carried away and I just spent the whole afternoon talking against the regime. Unfortunately our commander listened to us the whole time under the window open. And that was my last...They transported me right away."
Can you name the commander?
"Tvaroh, Jano Tvaroh. He was a Slovak."
And what was his rank?
"Lieutenant"
And the rest of the people got also into a trouble, or was it just you?
"No, it was only me. I was the head of the guards."
You were the head of the guards?
"Yes."
So the rest of them didn’t get any punishment?
"I think some disciplinary penalty, yes."
Right. So what happened to you then?
"Well what happened - at the first place they declassed me. Then I have been arrested for thirty days in barracks prison. In the mean time some of the army academy participants have finished the school and have been transported to different units. And I’m not sure if it was on purpose or if it was a mistake but they have transported me also. They took me to Jablonecek secret formation. I was supposed to work as a shop assistant there in the army shop. Funny, me, who has been prosecuted for my political thoughts, was sent to such top secret unit where all the agents have been trained. They learnt English, German and other things. They had to jump from the plane..."
"We all were smokers. We had some Taras Bulba or some other tobacco, but we didn’t have any lighter, no way a lighter. But we didn’t even have the matches. And he said: ´Don’t you worry.´ He took out a comb made out of celluloid, not a plastic one. He took a small piece of glass and started to rub it against the celluloid. He scraped fluff as big as a bee worm. Then he pulled a yarn from a blanket (you could only use the wool kind of blanket). He spread the fabric wide filled it up with the rubbed comb stuff and created sort of a cone out of it. Then he put it on the floor and started to run with the shoe over it. It usually took about five or ten minutes, but we were ready...And then it made this wheee sound and a tiny fire appeared. We quickly lighted one cigarette and that was it, we could smoke."
"They were going to and from work by bus every day from Mnichovo Hradiste town. They were leaving every day at 5 o’clock. Once when they were gathering at the bus stop a huge bang came from the nearby mine field. This lieutenant named Vlcek who was in charge of it went there too se what happened without getting the map of the field. Unfortunately everything was covered with snow and he stepped on the mine. It ripped his leg all the way up here, like this high...And now what? Nobody went to get him there, because we could also step on some mine especially if we didn’t know it there. So me and one other boy, I don’t remember his name anymore, went to get him out. Luckily we managed to pull him out to the bus stop. All the officers had to get off the bus and he went to the hospital in Mlada Boleslav town. The doctors must have amputated his leg like this, which is the best length for the peg-leg, because you can even dance like this...Just imagine, he was teaching English language, so he was so important to the army they would released him even with his duplicate leg."
Contents: Mr. Tops and his friends namely Vyckal, Franta Kamp, Ada Petrovsky and Joseph Charvatek were thinking about escaping from the labor camp. One of them came with the idea to use the Tatra 111 truck for that. They made a plan how to steel the truck. Mr. Tops was supposed to leave with them, but at the end something stopped him. His friend managed to escape in deed and for some time they were free, but they were caught again eventually.
"I also remember when the Jews marched in a row from the train station. Although it was warm outside they were wearing fur coats, because they were allowed to take only up to 30 kilos of their stuff or something like that. And they carried those luggages. But it was for nothing, because the Germans took everything from them later anyway. They carried their kids too. It wasn’t really pleasant to watch them. The Germans marked each of the barracks buildings with the A, B, or C and the Jews were not allowed to visit each other in the buildings..."
"I have been arrested in Ruzyne prison for almost a year. They used a lot of violence on me like solitary cell, torture, beating, hunger and all kinds of things..., psychic force. I wasn’t allowed to be sitting or lying. I had to walk all the time. They used to wake me up in the middle of the night beating and everything. There was one STB agents who was in charge of me and have couple of other agents who helped him. They swap every two or three hours. It was never ending, only the people were changing. Once I was on hunger strike for four days before they found out about it. Then they would bring their lunches with them. It smelled sooooo good and they just tortured you by eating it in front of you saying: See, if you would have told the truth, you’d be eating this with us now!"
All I have earned from the Bolshevism are sad things and memories During the whole time in jail I have earned just a few koruna (the Czech currency), but most of all diseases The Bolsheviks ruined my life
Václav Topš_his portrait drawn by co-inmate in prison
Mr. Vaclav Tops was born on April 27th 1928 in small village called Nucnicky near by Terezin town. He was the youngest of the seven siblings. He lost his parents very soon, still being a child. His mom died in 1937 and his dad in 1939. After his parents died, he grew up with his older siblings. He finished the grammar school in Terezin town and then he went to Roudnice nad Labem town where he continued his education to become a shop assistant. After he finished this school he decided to leave this line and moved to Prague - Vysocany where he started to work as a machine locksmith in the local factory. He remained here until 1950, when he was called up for the military training. He underwent the training by the 21st tank battalion in Zatec town. After very tough training he has been sent to the Army academy in Pardubice where he successfully gained the sergeant honor. As a head of the guards he once was criticizing the political habits accompanied by some of his colleagues during their work. Unfortunately some commander officer named Jan Tvaroh heard and recorded everything they said. Therefore Mr. Tops has been declassed to private honor again and also has been sent to a secret army section in Mnichovo Hradiste town. He had to work here as a shop assistant in the army shop and later he also helped in the armory. In 1952 he and couple of other soldiers started to organize a plane escape to the West. His responsibility in this plan was to provide certain army documents that would be later showed to the Americans. Unfortunately this whole act was only a trap organized by the pilot, who turned out to be a STB agent. Mr. Tops and the rest of the soldiers were arrested and taken to the custody in Prague-Ruzyne jail. He was suffering cruel hearings there and after a secret court trial in 1953 he has been sentenced to eleven years of prison and to some additional penalties. He stayed in Ruzyne jail for a short time after the court trial and later has been transported to Leopoldov jail in Slovakia. From here he has been transported once again, this time to labor camp Bytiz in Pribram town region. His medical problems began here and they must have been solved by an unsuccessful surgery at the end. After the surgery he has been re-moved back to Leopoldov jail in Slovakia. In 1959 Mr. Tops was conditionally released to probation five years probation. He had some difficulties finding a new job at the beginning but finally he got employed in Litomerice hospital. At first he worked as a serviceman and later also as an ambulance driver. Here he met his future wife, Mrs. Večeřová whom he got married in 1961. He died in 2013.
